Railway truck anti-rock side bearing device

ABSTRACT

A railway truck anti-rock device incorporating a base extending outwardly and downwardly beyond the truck bolster to provide support for upstanding elastomericly biased snubbers which in turn support a bridge. A rocking railway car engages the bridge which in turn engages the snubbers up to a point beyond which the bridge engages the base.

United States Patent [191 [in 3,762,338

Dwyer, Jr. 1 Oct. 2, 1973 54] RAILWAY TRUCK ANTI-ROCK SIDE 3,680,490 8/1972 Wilson a 3| 105/199 (B BEARlNG DEVICE 2,688,938 9/l954 Kowallik v v IDS/197 DB ll/l942 (ottrcll SOB/l 38 Inventor: Howard Irving Dwyer, J r.. Glen Ellyn, Ill.

Assignee: AM STED Industries Incorporated, Chicago, Ill.

Filed: Dec. 2, 1971 Appl. No.: 203,969

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12 1940 Kjolseth 105/199 CB Primary ExaminerRobcrt G. Sheridan Assistant Examiner-Howard Beltran Attorney-Walter L. Schlegel, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A railway truck anti-rock device incorporating a base extending outwardly and downwardly beyond the truck bolster to provide support for upstanding elastomericly biased snubbers which in turn support a bridge. A rocking railway car engages the bridge which in turn engages the snubbers up to a point beyond which the bridge engages the base.

10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDBU 21m SHEET 2 BF 3 1 ANTI-ROCK SIDE BEARING DEVICE This invention relates to railway trucks and more particularly to anti-rock devices mounted on railway truck bolsters.

Railway trucks support their associated railway cars in such a manner that the cars are not rigidly held thereon, but rather may rock from side to side. Under certain conditions a violent build-up of rocking motion, commonly referred to as resonant rock, can lead to structural damage or even derailment. The amount of rocking must be limited to 3 from center, or 6 peak-to-peak, in order to comply with standards established by the American Association of Railroads. Trucks should have anti-rock devices which will restrain excessive car rocking without affecting other riding characteristics of the car and without permitting resonant build-up of the forces incident to such rocking.

It is an object of this invention to provide an antirock device which restricts the rocking of an associated car to established standards without affecting other riding characteristics of the car.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an anti-rock device employing friction means for damping oscillation resulting from rocking of an associated car, thereby preventing resonant build-up of the forces incident to such rocking.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of an anti-rock device which may be applied to existing cars as well as new cars.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of an anti-rock device incorporating existing snubber units which, as proven through years of use, are reliable, inexpensive and have a long service life.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon perusal of the description herein in combination with the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a railway car embodying the invention, showing the car body in normal level position;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a railway car embodying the invention; showing the car body in extreme rock when proceeding around a banked curve;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective showing the anti-rock device mounted in position on the bolster of a railway truck; T

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view partially cut away, showing the details of one embodiment of the anti-rock device; 7

FIG. 5 is a top view of the anti-rock device shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the anti-rock device shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view, partially cut away, showing the details of a modified form of the anti-rock device shown in FIG. 4; and I FIG. 8 is a side elevational view, partially cut away, showing the details of still another modified form of the anti-rock device shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate schematically a railway car embodying the invention. The car body 1 comprises a body bolster 2 with an annular center bearing seated in a complementary center bearing socket of a truck bolster 12. Truck bol- RAILWAY TRUCK ster 12 is supported at its ends by springs 13, which in turn are supported by a wheel and axle assembly 15 comprising spaced wheels 16. Body bolster 2 is in contact with the anti-rock devices 10.

It will be noted in FIGS. 1 and 2 that truck side frames are not shown. One of thesewill hereinafter be described, although not in detail, because such a side frame is conventionally journaled on a pair of axles and supports springs 13 which in turn support truck bolster l2.

FIG. 2 shows the car body I ina position of extreme rock as may occur for example when the car proceeds around a banked curve at a speed less than that for which the banking is designed. This may aggravate conditions that cause the car body 1 to rock from side to side, sometimes at a resonant frequency which may cause severe damage'to the various components.

Anti-rock device 10 is mounted adjacent each end of and carried by bolster 12 of an associated truck. Bolster 12 is spring-supported by coil springs 13 carried by side frames, one of which is shown at 14 (FIG. 3) and in turn is carried by wheels 16.

The railway car body is usually supported by spaced center bearings upon mating center bearings on a pair of bolsters 12, each bolster being spring supported in the usual manner at its ends by spaced side frames 14 of one truck, so that the car body is supported by two trucks. During normal operation, when the railway car is rolling along a straight section of track, the longitudinal axis of each bolster 12 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the car. The car is supported by each bolster 12 so as to be able to rock relative thereto and to swivel relative thereto on a substantially vertical axis.

Bolster 12 serves as a support for anti-rock devices 10. Each anti-rock device 10 includes a base casting 18 mounted on and secured to bolster 12 by means of bolts 20 or other suitable means. Base casting 18 has a central portion 22 supported on the top surface of bolster 12. Base casting 18 also has end portions 24 extending beyondbolster l2 perpendicular to the axis of bolster l2 and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the car when the truck and the car are oriented for rolling along a straight track. End portions 24 of base casting 18 extend both outwardly and downwardly beyond bolster 12. Each end portion 24 is formed in a cup-shaped receiving position and defines the inner surfaces 26 below the top surface of bolster 12. Inner surfaces 26 may have either of two functions; one being the support of a friction member which engages a snubbing mechanism, the other being frictional engagement with a snubbing mechanism, as will be described more fully hereinafter.

' The snubbing mechanism, or spring unit, generally referred to as 28 is known to those skilled in the railway arts as the ASF Simplex Unit Snubber, manufactured by American Steel Foundries and described at page l 191 of the Car Builders Cyclopedia, published in I940 by Simmons-Boardman, New York. As is most clearly shown in FIG. 7, the entire snubbing. mechanism 28 includes an upstanding rubber spring 30', a pair of side wedges 32 and a pair of follower wedges 34. Briefly, an axial load applied to follower wedges 34 compresses rubber spring 30 along its own longitudinal axis. Sloping surfaces on the inside of follower wedges 34 engage side wedges 32, forcing them to move inwardly. This action compresses-rubber springs 30 transversely. Friction between the wedges serves to dissipate energy during compression and extension of rubber spring 30. This results in damping oscillation of the spring and the rocking car body.

A bridge casting 36 is oriented parallel to and spaced above base casting 18. Bridge casting 36 has a central portion 38 on which is mounted or otherwise attached a wear pad 40. Wear pad 40 is so located as to be engageable by the wear pad of an associated railway car. Bridge casting 36 also has end portions 42 extending outwardly beyond bolster l2 and above end portions 24 of base casting 18. Each end portion 42 defines inner surfaces 44 similar to inner surfaces 26 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

It is anticipated that each end portion 24 cooperates with an end portion 42 to form a pocket into which an ASP Simplex Unit Snubber, or portions thereof, is placed to provide the snubbing action.

Turning again to FIG. 7, it will be seen that inner surfaces 26 of end portions 24 serve as a support or seat for the snubbing mechanism 28. A follower wedge 34 rests upon surface 26. Spring 30 is carried by follower wedge 34, and upon it rests another follower wedge 34, interposed between spring 30 and inner surface 44 of end portion 42. Within follower wedge 34 is a pair of side wedges 32 movable laterally in response to the application and relief of compressive forces to rubber spring 30. Frictional engagement of side wedge 32 with follower wedges 34 serves to dampen oscillation within the system.

As shown best in FIG. 3, anti-rock device is adjacent wheels 16 and spaced from the longitudinal axis of an associated railway car. Assuming normal operation of a railroad, it may be expected that the railway car will rock, and that its wear pad will directly engage wear pad 40 of bridge casting 36. Bridge casting 36 is forced downwardly and acts through follower wedge 34 to compress spring 30. Compression of spring 30 causes a build up of energy therein. Compression of spring 30 forces lateral sideways movement of side wedges 32 into frictional engagement with follower wedges 34 sufficiently to dissipate enough energy to dampen oscillation within the system. Enough energy is dissipated to prevent amplification of forces at resonance.

The modification of the invention shown in FIG. 4 incorporates one follower wedge 34 as an integral part of each end portion 24 of base casting 18. In this case, inner surfaces 26 are formed in the shape of the surfaces of a follower'wedge 34. These inner surfaces 26 are frictionally engaged by side wedges 32 upon compression of spring 30. Similarly, another modification may incorporate end portions 42 of bridge casting 36 formed in the configuration of follower wedges, inner surfaces 44 being formed in the shape of the surfaces ofa follower wedge 34. Thus, the follower wedges may be separate or integral with their associated end portion.

In the modification of the invention shown in FIG. 8, both end portions are formed in the configuration of folllower wedges and are engaged directly by rubber spring 30 and side wedges 32.

As overload protection and to insure that rocking is limited to the established standard of the American Association of Railroads, base casting 18 is provided with a bearing face 48 and bridge casting 36 is provided with a bearing face 50. These bearing faces are located in the central portions of the castings above but not beyond bolster l2. Bearing faces 48 and 50 are oriented so that rocking of an associated car will cause bridge casting 36 to move downward to a pointwherebear ing face 50 engages bearing face 48, thereby limiting the force exerted on rubber spring 30 and transmitting excessive force directly to the bolster. In practice, it has been found that a space approximately one-half inch between bearing faces 48 and 50 serves this purpose. It should be understood that excessive forces are transitory and momentary and do not result in resonant oscillation of the system.

It should be pointed out that one of the advantages of this anti-rock device is that it may be applied to existing cars simply by mounting the castings on an exist- .ing bolster.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, it is anticipated that variations thereon fall within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. For use with a railway car body having a fore and aft longitudinal axis and a wear pad spaced from the longitudinal axis, and with a railway truck including a bolster having a longitudinal bolster axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis when the body and truck are oriented for straight-ahead rolling movement; an antirock device comprising a base member mounted on top of the bolster and having end portions extending downwardly and outwardly fore and aft beyond the bolster perpendicular to the bolster axis, each of said base member end portions defining a base surface below the top of the bolster, a bridge member spaced above said base member and having a wear pad engageable with the body wear pad, said bridge member having end portions extending outwardly fore and aft beyond the bolster perpendicular to the bolster axis, each of said bridge member end portions defining a bridge surface, said base and bridge surfaces being cooperative to form a pocket at each end of said members, and snubbing means ineach of said pockets. 2

2. In the invention according to claim 1, said snubbing means comprising base and bridge followers respectively contacting said base and bridge surfaces, spring means contacting said followers for oscillation responsive to rocking of said body, and wedge means responsive to oscillation of said spring means for frictionally contacting said followers thereby damping said oscillation of said spring means.

3. In the invention according to claim 1, said snubbing means comprising spring means contacting said surfaces for oscillation responsive to rocking of said body, and wedge means responsive to oscillation of said spring means for frictionally contacting at least one of said surfaces thereby damping said oscillation of said spring means.

4. In the invention according to claim 1, a follower contacting one of said surfaces, spring means contacting said follower and the other of said surfaces for oscillation responsive to rocking of said body, and wedge means responsive to oscillation of said spring means for frictionally contacting said follower and said other of said surfaces thereby damping said oscillation of said spring means.

5. In the invention according to claim 4, said one of said surfaces being said base surface and said other of said surfaces being said bridge surface.

6. In the invention according to claim 4, said one of said surfaces being said bridge surface and said other of said surfaces being said base surface.

7. In the invention according to claim 1, said members being oritented such that said bridge member contacts said base member upon rocking of the body a predetermined amount.

8. In a railway car having a truck with spaced side frames and a truck bolster spring-supported at its ends on respective side frames, and having a car body with a center bearing supported on a complementary center bearing of the bolster between its ends for swiveling support thereby; the combination of anti-rock devices carried by the bolster adjacent respective ends thereof, each anti-rock device comprising a pair of seats carried by the bolster and spaced beyond opposite sides thereof, respectively, and below the top thereof, a pair of snubbing units wholly supported on said seats, respectively, and extending upwardly therefrom, and a wear pad supported by said snubbing units for contact with the car body.

9. In a railway car having a truck with spaced side frames and a bolster extending therebetween and spring-supported therefrom, said car having a body swivelingly supported by said bolster between its ends ber and seated thereagain, said bolster also having spacd, substantially vertical side walls, said base member having down-turned end portions bearing against external areas of respective side walls, said end portions extending outwardly from respective side walls to define upwardly facing seats at opposite sides, respectively, of the bolster below the level of said top wall, an elongated bridge member extending above and substantially parallel to the base member, said bridge member being spaced from the bolster and base member and having downwardly facing support surfaces above respective seats, a wear pad on top of said bridge member underlying a downwardly facing wear pad on the car body, and spring means between each seat and the overlying support surface for resisting downward movement of the car body pad against the bridge pad.

10. A railway car according to claim 9, wherein releaseable means are provided for attaching the bolster top wall to the base member. 

1. For use with a railway car body having a fore and aft longitudinal axis and a weaR pad spaced from the longitudinal axis, and with a railway truck including a bolster having a longitudinal bolster axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis when the body and truck are oriented for straight-ahead rolling movement; an anti-rock device comprising a base member mounted on top of the bolster and having end portions extending downwardly and outwardly fore and aft beyond the bolster perpendicular to the bolster axis, each of said base member end portions defining a base surface below the top of the bolster, a bridge member spaced above said base member and having a wear pad engageable with the body wear pad, said bridge member having end portions extending outwardly fore and aft beyond the bolster perpendicular to the bolster axis, each of said bridge member end portions defining a bridge surface, said base and bridge surfaces being cooperative to form a pocket at each end of said members, and snubbing means in each of said pockets.
 2. In the invention according to claim 1, said snubbing means comprising base and bridge followers respectively contacting said base and bridge surfaces, spring means contacting said followers for oscillation responsive to rocking of said body, and wedge means responsive to oscillation of said spring means for frictionally contacting said followers thereby damping said oscillation of said spring means.
 3. In the invention according to claim 1, said snubbing means comprising spring means contacting said surfaces for oscillation responsive to rocking of said body, and wedge means responsive to oscillation of said spring means for frictionally contacting at least one of said surfaces thereby damping said oscillation of said spring means.
 4. In the invention according to claim 1, a follower contacting one of said surfaces, spring means contacting said follower and the other of said surfaces for oscillation responsive to rocking of said body, and wedge means responsive to oscillation of said spring means for frictionally contacting said follower and said other of said surfaces thereby damping said oscillation of said spring means.
 5. In the invention according to claim 4, said one of said surfaces being said base surface and said other of said surfaces being said bridge surface.
 6. In the invention according to claim 4, said one of said surfaces being said bridge surface and said other of said surfaces being said base surface.
 7. In the invention according to claim 1, said members being oritented such that said bridge member contacts said base member upon rocking of the body a predetermined amount.
 8. In a railway car having a truck with spaced side frames and a truck bolster spring-supported at its ends on respective side frames, and having a car body with a center bearing supported on a complementary center bearing of the bolster between its ends for swiveling support thereby; the combination of anti-rock devices carried by the bolster adjacent respective ends thereof, each anti-rock device comprising a pair of seats carried by the bolster and spaced beyond opposite sides thereof, respectively, and below the top thereof, a pair of snubbing units wholly supported on said seats, respectively, and extending upwardly therefrom, and a wear pad supported by said snubbing units for contact with the car body.
 9. In a railway car having a truck with spaced side frames and a bolster extending therebetween and spring-supported therefrom, said car having a body swivelingly supported by said bolster between its ends for swiveling movement relative thereto about a substantially vertical axis, an elongated base member having a longitudinal axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bolster, said bolster being hollow and having a top wall underlying said base member and seated thereagain, said bolster also having spacd, substantially vertical side walls, said base member having down-turned end portions bearing against external areas of respective side walls, said end portions extending outwardly from respeCtive side walls to define upwardly facing seats at opposite sides, respectively, of the bolster below the level of said top wall, an elongated bridge member extending above and substantially parallel to the base member, said bridge member being spaced from the bolster and base member and having downwardly facing support surfaces above respective seats, a wear pad on top of said bridge member underlying a downwardly facing wear pad on the car body, and spring means between each seat and the overlying support surface for resisting downward movement of the car body pad against the bridge pad.
 10. A railway car according to claim 9, wherein releaseable means are provided for attaching the bolster top wall to the base member. 